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2008 Nissan Altima Coupe 2.5 S Road Test

It's hard to go wrong with the Nissan Altima if you're out shopping for a

It looks like a different car, but it's the same wholesome Altima underneath. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

decent family car. Retooled, the Altima is perhaps best known for being one of the sportiest cars in the midsize segment, and with good reason. It handles well, rides well and thanks to some serious upgrades under the hood, it goes well too. And the most recent generation is also built well, with materials that could do double duty in Infinitis. And we're not the only admirers, as the new Altima continues on the charge led by its similar looking predecessor, being one of the brand's best sellers and the vehicle that put it on the map as a true contender against the Camry and Accord. The thing is, with ingredients like these and a recipe that seems well adapted to substitutes, it probably occurred to someone at Nissan that the Altima could work well as a Coupe. Goodness, without even getting inside, they weren't kidding!

I don't know about you, but there are plenty of billboards in my area loudly proclaiming, “No Sedan Additives” about the Altima Coupe. It's true, at least as far as the styling is concerned. Here is a vehicle to envy, a car that people will go out of their way to find out what it is and to tell you what a nice looking car it is. This is indeed one of the Altima sedan's biggest strengths. Its Coupe-like shape is a reminder that Nissan's design studios haven't lost their touch after

Everything but for the hood is new. Talk about starting from scratch... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

such breathtaking designs as the Murano and Z. And yet, what makes the Coupe that more impressive is that it is still very much the Altima, a link that doesn't require squinting to see. There are plenty of curiosities that give the Coupe its own unique look, mind you, from its face with its stretched out honeycomb grille and semi-chrome mustachioed outline, to the unique shape of the trunk lid. It's pinched towards the top, creating a swooping flow from the heavily raked roof that your eyes can seamlessly follow. It seems to be a style that people unanimously like, and a shape that people often mistake for being an Infiniti. At forty grand, this would be a good looking car. But the thing is it's not forty grand, it starts at about twenty.

But there's a reason why the Altima is as visually appealing as it is; Nissan essentially custom tailored the chassis in order to fit the needs of the body. Width wise and track wise, the Coupe is identical to the sedan, but a significant chunk of the car's wheelbase and subsequently its overall length have been excised. Comparing the two, the Coupe has 4.0 inches less between its wheels and 7.3 fewer inches overall than the Sedan,

Engine wise, there's nothing different which is no big deal; 175-hp is plenty for a four-cylinder. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

but standing on its own it doesn't seem any shorter due to its proportions.

The wrapper might state that there aren't any sedan additives, but the actual ingredients are pure sedan, not that there's anything particularly wrong with that. You see, the Coupe shares the same engines and gearboxes as the sedan, and the same suspension setup too. The only differences that would clearly divide the coupe and the sedan are the way the springs and dampers have been tuned. The rest of the car is carried over without much by the way of alteration.

Past run-ins with the Altima demonstrated that four cylinders were enough, and in the case of the Coupe which averages 66 pounds less than the four-door, this continues to be the case. It's a strong and willing engine that feels more like a small V6 than a four in the way that it goes about things. It's just a shame that Nissan didn't tweak the exhaust note to sound a touch more exotic. Opting for the 2.5-liter four is also a surprisingly thrifty move.

Then again, if pragmatism isn't your thing – and with a coupe as good looking as this,

Looks slick; drives extra sharply. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

we wouldn't blame you for it – there's always the 3.5 SE. The famous VQ makes a fantastic match for the Coupe, with 270 horsepower it's plenty gusty dropping the hammer to 60 mph in well under six seconds. Mounted lower, and with equal length half shafts that are parallel to the engine, Nissan has eradicated torque steer enabling the car to just grip and go. Mind you, the sweet song of the six might just make up for the bladder-bursting cruising range and excellent fuel economy of the four-cylinder car. Might.

You can choose from two gearboxes on both the four- and six-cylinder models, a six-speed manual or a CVT. For a huge portion of Altima buyers, the CVT is the way to go. Being one of the best units in the industry, it makes staggeringly quick shifts in manual mode that replicate a six-speed sequential gearbox. Really, it hops from gear to gear almost instantaneously making manual modes on traditional automatics feel off the pace. But even when functioning as a CVT, the transmission attempts to drive like an automatic, locking up to minimize the rubber band effect that is often part of rival CVT experiences, and creating resistance when coasting down hills.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Altima Coupe is going to drive a whole lot like the Altima Sedan. The Coupe is practically identical to its four-door counterpart, but with a ride that's ever so slightly more firm. It's still very comfortable and very quiet though, no doubt aided by the non-sporting, fat-sidewalled Continental touring tires.

The main purpose of a Coupe is to be cool, and the Altima Coupe isn't short of it. It makes you look stylish not to mention effortless as you walk up to it, not fumbling with keys of any sort, but just pulling the door handle, dropping inside and then pushing the starter button. The four-cylinder does something most fours don't do – it purrs at low revs, the deep-down lazy 1,250 rpm that eases you away from stoplights. The lack of gears helps here too, as there's no interruption of power

Driver faces much the same dashboard as in the four-door. Seat adjusts for height and steering wheel for reach and rake. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

. You just depress and go.

Practice, mind you, is essential in making sure your occupants feel that smoothness, as it takes a concerted effort to drive it. All of the Altima's vitals – gas, brake, steering – have been calibrated at a hyper sensitive level. Hopping out of another car and into the Altima will make you wonder what's going on. The steering turn-in is ultra-sharp and near weightless, a combination that makes for easy palm-twirling in traffic, but often requires correction mid-turn – not to dial in more lock, but to reduce. It's followed by a much heavier weighting once speeds rise, but it isn't as simple as driving fast. The car appears to anticipate upcoming moves, in that it can detect when you're just moving along on the highway, and when you're going in for that corkscrew off-ramp.

As for the brake pedal, its dual-pivot design has an immediacy and sharpness that's very assuring, but at the same time annoying. The faintest tap will send you into the clutches of your seatbelt; more pedal travel and progression would be nice. Likewise, the throttle's sharpness is an

Seats five. Not four, but five. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

all-or-nothing action potential; attempt to balance it like you would a normal throttle and you'll feel as if you're trying to drive while on a rocking chair rather than one of the Coupe's nicely bolstered buckets.

Sitting in the Altima Coupe is just like sitting in the Altima Sedan. You're faced with the same dash, the same very bright Fine Vision instruments, the same perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the same console packed with the same goods. The only two changes that were made ahead of the B-pillar are new seats with fatter bolsters, and a hand-operated parking brake in place of a foot unit for cars equipped with the CVT. That said the cabin is a little plain and ordinary to look at, with a fairly dark atmosphere if you don't opt for the Blonde cloth or leather. On the plus side, as far as coupes go the Altima is quite usable to transport four passengers with decent leg and shoulder room. Like all coupes it competes

Should you want more go, there's always the 3.5 SE with its V6. Thankfully, unlike the previous Altima there's little torque steer. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

against, headroom is short, but at 5'10”, I fit in back without knocking my head on the rear glass. Unlike the Eclipse or the G6, the Altima is a five-seat coupe, which, come to think of it, is a rather rare finding these days. Overall trunk volume is smaller than average, however, due in part to a very shallow design.

Well equipped is one of the better ways of describing the Altima, and indeed it comes packed with the kind of features that will make you feel smug when comparing specs with your neighbor's Accord Coupe or Camry Solara. Proximity sensing intelligent key is standard, as are four wheel discs with ABS and six airbags, plus alloy wheels. Stability control, a navigation system with an integrated backup camera, and HID headlamps are reserved for the V6 model, but just about everything else can be piled onto the four-cylinder from power heated leather seats to Bluetooth. It's a bit of a shame that the four-cylinder car can't be had with those aforementioned goodies without opting for the CVT, though. But, it must be said that it's a fairly reasonably priced car, as the 2.5 S starts at about $20,500 – you won't find a sleeker car for less money.

The Altima Coupe isn't perfection on wheels, as its supermodel looks might suggest, but it's highly likable. Perhaps its biggest flaw is in the eye of the beholder; with looks like these you might come to expect stronger and more sports car-like performance. Instead, Nissan has delivered something that appeals to the heart, without neglecting the mind – flash, with room for family and friends. If you need a true passionate sports car with room for four in relative comfort, a Mazda RX-8 or the brutish V8-powered Ford Mustang may better suit your needs. Nissan could conceivably gain ground on that crowd by adding more sport to the equation to back up its styling, but within the segment of midsize coupes they've got their target nailed. We like it a lot, and think that most buyers in the segment would be doing themselves a great disservice by not taking one out for a test drive.

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